States considering regional pact to address wind-transmission backlog

Kansas and other states are considering plans for an interstate agreement to speed up the permitting and development of power lines that would carry wind-generated power from rural areas to urban centers. Such an agreement would make both federal and state-level renewable-energy goals more achievable, supporters said. "Transmission is one of those issues that often get overlooked in these discussions," said Brydon Ross, a policy analyst for the Council of State Governments, which assembled a team to draft the agreement.